Sony to Release Google Glass Competitor at CES

Sony just announced one of the products it will be showing off at the upcoming 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, and it is pretty surprising. Sony has made a bet on a Google Glass type wearable. But Sony’s device has a little twist, it clips on to existing eye-ware. This is Sony’s Single-Lens Display Module:

The clip on aspect seems to be Sony’s main selling point, and the main differentiator between the Single-Lens Display Module and Google Glass:

This display module possesses the potential to enrich users’ lives in a variety of ways. By simply attaching it to a pair of fashionable glasses, goggles, sunglasses, or other type of eyewear, you can instantly gain access to visual information that adds a level of convenience to your everyday life. The module also has potential applications in sports or for work, among other areas, displaying helpful information that supports you in the activity you are engaged in. And this is all done in a small sub-window that does not obstruct your field of vision. Because the module is easily attachable/detachable, you can use it only when you want to, and you have the option to store it away if it does not suit the occasion. Sony’s new module presents the opportunity to begin incorporating glasses-style smart devices into your life in a comfortable, easy way.1

It looks like Sony is also developing its own software to power the device. The release makes no mention of Android or Android Wear – which would be the probably open source OS for the device. However, the release does mention that Sony is preparing its own software development kit (SDK). Sony is also planning to create a new business segment around the device: “It [Sony] is thereby moving forward with a glasses-style smart device solutions business that could see the module being adapted to a wide variety of uses, given its high processing power.”2

It is hard to say anything about the possible success of such a device, especially as enthusiasm for Google Glass is dwindling. However, it appears that Sony’s Single-Lens Display Module is much more powerful than Google Glass: